50 Valorant Tips and Tricks to Improve in 2023

Similar to other tactical shooter games like Counter-Strike Global Offensive or Rainbow Six Siege, you need to learn a lot of strategies and tricks to excel in Valorant. While there has been a significant shift in Meta from season to season, the fundamentals of the game have remained the same. If you are an old player or a newbie struggling to improve your game for a long time, read some of our below tips and tricks and learn the core mechanics.

Best Tips and Tricks to Improve in Valorant 

Best Valorant Agent Tips and Tricks

1. Pressing Alt (default keybindings) on the keyboard reveals the current ability status of teammates. So, before pinging your Sage for healing, see whether the player has the healing ability in the first place.
2. Brimstone Stim-Beacon will only work on auto-firing weapons like Phantom, Frenzy, and Odin. So, stop buying and using Stim-Beacon with pistols in starting rounds.
3. Each Agent in Valorant has a weakness. Learn the drawback of all the agents by playing them in custom or unranked matches. Without real practice time, you cannot understand the mindset of each agent and the way they move inside each map.
4. Try to learn the flash timing and their capabilities for each agent. For example, KAY/O and Yoru flashes can be bounced off walls, while Breach flashes have the capacity to penetrate through walls. Learn the various nuances of each ability and use it to your advantage.
5. Do prefer giving orbs each round to agents that possess game-changing ultimates like Lockdown (KillJoy) and Resurrection (Sage). They are more valuable to a team than any ultimate ability of a fancy duelist agent.
6. Always include META agents in your team during agent selection. There is no use in leaving such an agent while your enemies fully capitalize on their ability to win rounds and matches. So, keep up with the current trends and use such agents to their maximum potential.
7. If you are a Sova or Skye player, tell your teammates to follow behind the drone or tiger to gain space. There is no use in rushing an area after droning as the space will be reoccupied by enemy players immediately.
8. Do not waste all your abilities at the start of the round. Save some skills for retaking the site or for flanking behind enemy lines.
9. You can always stand on top of a dropped spike to counter the enemy Omen from stealing it.
10. If you are a KillJoy main, try to place the turret in such a way that it covers multiple angles. The turret is one of the most lethal abilities in the game, and you should maximize its usage.
11. Try to learn how to combo the abilities of your agents while playing. For example, if your Sage orbs an area, follow it up with a Raze grenade to eliminate trapped enemies.  
12. Experiment with your team's combination from time to time. Do not stick with the same team composition just because you feel comfortable. Learn new tactics and combos as you progress.
13. Do not underutilize the kit of your agent. Many new players forget half of their abilities by repeatedly spamming the same skills over and over again. For example, amateur Brimstone players never use their Stim Beacon in most of their rounds, an ability that could have been so useful to their teammates.

Related: How to select a suitable crosshair in Valorant

Best Valorant Crosshair Tips and Tricks

1. Always try to use a crosshair that feels comfortable to aim and move instead of copying any crosshair used by Pro players or your friends. 
2. If you are a player who sprays a lot using their rifle, try to use a crosshair with all the inner and outer lines like the TenZ crosshair. Using such a crosshair allows players to control their recoil pattern by using the edges of both lines.
3. Anyone who likes to burst or tap fire in most of their combat scenarios should try to use a crosshair with minimal design, like the Dot or Shuriken Crosshair. Keeping a small crosshair enables players to move smoothly and lock into the enemy's head without distraction.
4. Place the crosshair at the head level of the enemy at all times. This habit of keeping the crosshair at head level allows you to one-tap enemies instead of relying on multiple body shots.
5. Try to customize a minimalistic crosshair for your sniper that is unique from your rifle. Sniper players do not need the inner/outer lines as they cause much distraction. So, always pick a crosshair with a simple dot or plain design pattern.
6. Never use any funny or troll crosshairs as your primary crosshair though it may be effective. They may serve the purpose temporarily but will affect your aim in the long run.
7. While hitting headshots helps you to win most battles, you can opt for body shots if you know that the enemy is low in health.

Related: NSFW Valorant Crosshair Codes for Adults

Best Valorant Weapon Tips and Tricks

1. Pick your primary weapons depending on your range of combat. For example, if you are a support player like KillJoy, use long-range weapons like Vandal or Odin. On the other hand, if you like playing Raze or Jett, Phantom should be your first choice due to its faster firing rate.
2. Always read the economy of your enemies before the start of each round, As you can always easily predict the way a match will pan out if the enemy teams have good guns/abilities or if they are saving.
3. Ever since the release of Valorant, Marshall has been one of the most overlooked guns in the game. It's mainly because of its one-shot accuracy (headshot) and low price. So, if you are a sniper player and are playing eco rounds, do prefer using a Marshall over anything.
4. Unlike CS:GO, crouching does not help to control your weapon recoil in Valorant. So, unbind the key if you are missing your shots regularly due to firing from a lower angle.
5. Never sleep upon weapons like the Judge for close-range encounters in maps like Split, Icebox, or Lotus. They are highly effective and can shift the pace if used properly. Remember, several players have reached Radiant by using only Judge as their primary weapon.
6. While using a shotgun, try to shoot near the neck or chest of the enemy model to reduce the radius of the pellet scattering and increase the damage number.
7. During pistol rounds, try to use different weapons within your group instead of buying Sherrif or Ghost alone. Using unique weapons makes your team less predictable in eco rounds, as the opponents will be confused about your combat method.
8. If you have extra cash in any deficit round, buy weapons for your teammates. Also, don't be shy to ask for weapons from your allies if you lack funds. There is no use in playing Valorant if your team does not have proper guns to fight each round.
9. Rifles or any spray guns in Valorant do not have a set spray recoil pattern that players can learn and counter, as the patterns are entirely random. So, don't try to move the mouse in any pre-determined direction. Instead, watch the current gun movement and track the mouse in the opposite direction to control recoil.
10. While using a sniper rifle, try to have a secondary gun like Shorty or Frenzy in your back pocket to counter close-range aggression.

Best Valorant Map Tips and Tricks

1. While entering any site, try to clear every corner an enemy can hold and never take any place for granted, even if you find any spot safe in previous rounds.
2. Hop into custom games and learn the various corners of the map where you can take cover. Use these corners to peek and shoot. For example, if you are on split, learn how to fight using corners in the elevator corridor, B Entrance, and at the backside of A.
3. Learn the various wall-bang locations on each map and spam those areas regularly. Doing this allows you to take random kills and tilt the rounds toward your favor.
4. Never randomly plant spikes on any bomb site. Instead, plant for agent lineups like Sova Darts, Viper Molly, or KillJoy Bots. Either preplan such lineups or decide after planting.
5. Always learn multiple ways to attack the same bomb site. Don't abuse the same tactics each round. Instead, mix up your strategies from time to mix to become less predictable. For example, if you want to take A site on Ascent, attack through the middle section one round and attack directly on A on others. 
6. After planting, instead of dry peeking the spike based on sound, peek from an angle so that you can see the bomb alone. If the player is defusing, the color of the bomb will be red. Otherwise, it will be white. Use the information and shoot the enemy.
7. Don't give orbs for free to enemies at any cost. Always fight for it at all bomb sites. If you need backing, ask your teammates for cover while you combat for orb domination
8. Advise your controller agent to smoke the entry points of any site a bit deep. Doing this allows you to see the outline of your enemy when they push through smoke, giving you a great advantage of hitting the first shot each time.
9. Irrespective of the map, never camp inside any smoke for more than two rounds in a match. It's 100% way better to see opponents than being a sitting duck inside a smoke-baiting all the enemies.
10. Check your mini-map regularly. The mini-map in Valorant shows the location of enemies even if one of your teammates spots them. So, use this information and plan your next move.
11. Learn to play around with the unique interaction points on each map. Let it be the Ziplines on Icebox or the Portal Doors in Lotus. Know the strength and weaknesses of these interaction areas to predict the movement of your enemies.

Related: Best team composition for Gekko in Valorant

General Tips and Tricks - Valorant

1. Do not always try to solo queue and climb rank. Valorant is a team-based tactical game, and you should prefer playing it with friends.
2. Learn the various peeking methods inside the game, like Ferrari peek, jiggle peek, and off-angle peek. Each peek has its advantages and will bring variety to your gameplay style.
3. Unlike popular opinion, some skins like Prime or Oni feel better than the default gun while shooting due to their animation and shooting rhythm. So, invest some money in purchasing premium skins for your regular weapons.
4. If your friend is under-fragging or playing poorly, try to improve their morale by talking to them. Also, try to protect and guard them by providing adequate cover in combat scenarios. 
5. Always be nice and friendly towards your teammate. Ask them about their plans, strategies, and the way they want to attack/defend a round. Use this information and play according to their tactics instead of forcing your ideas through their throat.
6. Irrespective of your PC configuration, try to run Valorant on Low or Medium settings to gain the maximum FPS. The higher the FPS number, the smoother it will feel.
7. Turn on the FPS number, Network Ping, and Server Tick Rate from the Network Settings. Doing allows you to monitor your game performance and make necessary changes for stable gameplay.
8. Use software like Outplayed or OBS to record your gameplay regularly. Analyze your gameplay with friends or other members on Reddit to amend your mistakes. 
9. Though you may run the game on low settings to gain the most FPS, please keep the Bloom setting on. Enabling this feature helps you to see fast-moving abilities like Sova Darts much better.
10. Use third-party software like Aim Labs or Kovaak's Aim Trainer to practice your reflex time and raw aim. They also provide unique map courses that simulate various scenarios, helping you improve your overall game sense and decision-making skill.

For more on Valorant, check out Best Valorant Agents or How to check the Valorant Pro City Leaderboards on Pro Game Guides.